Functionalization of bismuth sulfide nanomaterials for their application in cancer theranostics

Multifunctional bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) nanomaterials exhibit significant potential as nanomedicines for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. These nanomaterials act as excellent photothermal agents and radiation sensitizers for the treatment of tumors, and they can also act as contrast agents for computed tomography (CT) imaging, photoacoustic imaging (PA), and other forms of imaging to provide real-time tumor monitoring and testing guidance. Compared with other nanomaterials, Bi₂S₃ nanomaterials can readily adapt to different applications by virtue of the fact that they can be easily functionalized. However, these nanomaterials have some limitations that cannot be ignored and need to be addressed, such as poor biocompatibility, toxicity, and low chemical stability. It is widely believed that appropriate functionalization of Bi₂S₃ nanomaterials could remedy such defects and significantly improve performance. This review summarizes the ways in which Bi₂S₃ nanomaterials can be functionalized and discusses their applications in cancer theranostics over the last few years, focusing particularly on imaging and therapy. We also discuss issues relating to how Bi₂S₃ nanomaterials can be analyzed, including how we might be able to use these systems to inhibit and treat tumors and how current limitations might be overcome to improve treatment efficacy. Finally, we hope to provide inspiration and guidance as to how we might create a more optimized multifunctional nano-system for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors.     

Photocatalytic Degradation of Binary Dyes Mixture over SrTiO3 Synthesized Using Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose Additive

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - Photodegrading dye-contaminated effluents is a promising method for photo energy conversion and utilization. Herein, rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue...     

Dynamics of the double-beam piezo–magneto–elastic nonlinear wind energy harvester exhibiting galloping-based vibration

Nonlinear Dynamics - This paper investigates a dynamic model and behavior of a novel double-beam piezo–magneto–elastic nonlinear wind energy harvester (DBPME-WEH). The DBPME-WEH is a...     

Nanoparticles of Iron Nitride Encapsulated in Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Bulk Derived from Polyaniline/Fe2O3 Blends and Its Electrochemical Performance

Iron nitride nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon bulk is fabricated by a simple costep nitridation of Fe₂O₃ and carbonization of polyaniline. The microstructure and elemental composition of the materials are analyzed by transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The pore size distribution and specific surface area of the materials are identified using nitrogen adsorption and desorption method. The results illustrate that iron nitride nanoparticles with 5–20 nm in size are uniformly dispersed in the carbon bulk. The presence of carbon bulk effectively prevents the agglomeration of iron nitride nanoparticles, making the electrochemical performance of iron nitride nanoparticles/carbon nitride composite nanomaterials superior to that of pure iron nitride nanomaterials. At a current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹, the specific capacitance (257.5 F g⁻¹) of the iron nitride nanoparticles/nitrogen-doped carbon bulk is much higher than that (119.5 F g⁻¹) of pure iron nitride.     

The characterizations of polarization in resonator integrated optic gyroscope

The general Jones matrix of the whole optical circuit in the resonator integrated optic gyro is deduced firstly, and then the propagation process of both polarization eigenstates in the gyro optic circuit is described by the matrix. The influence of refractive index difference between both polarization states, the coupling between both states in the cavity, the misalignment angle of fiber splices at the input and output port of the multifunction integrated optical device (MIOC) and the extinction ratio of MIOC, on the optical output properties of the resonator is analyzed.     

Novel Immunochromatography Assay Based on Background Fluorescence Quenching for the Sensitive Determination of Serum Cystatin C

It is recognized that cystatin C is an effective marker for monitoring the glomerular filtration rate and the clinical diagnosis of various diseases. In this study, a novel immunochromatographic method has been established to achieve quantitative detection of serum cystatin C. Unlike conventional and traditional gold immune chromatographic assays (GICAs), a uniform layer of a fluorescent film was added to the solid phase, which has been designated as the background fluorescence quenching immune chromatographic assay (bFQICA). Under the optimized conditions, there was a good correlation between the fluorescence signal ratio (F1/F2) of the background fluorescence (F1) to the fluorescence signal at the detection line (F2) for cystatin C at concentrations from 0.0?ng/mL to 100?ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9977. The detection limit was 0.69?ng/mL, and the recovery values were 87.9–105%. The differences between the intra- and interbatch precision were less than 15% in three batches. In addition, after 120 serum samples were detected, there were no significant differences in the results obtained by bFQICA and immunoturbidimetry (t?=?0.963, p?=?0.338?>?0.05). This work demonstrates that bFQICA is a simple, sensitive, and accurate approach for the determination of serum cystatin C, providing a new approach for the clinical diagnosis of cystatin C.     

Global solutions for a one-dimensional problem in conducting fluids

A mathematical model of the motion of conducting fluids is studied in this paper. The dynamics of such fluids is described by the equations of compressible fluids coupled to the Maxwell’s equations. We prove global existence of strong solution for a one-dimensional initial-boundary value problem of this model (plane conducting flows) with general large data.     

The Nonreciprocal Errors in Fiber Optic Current Sensors

Nonreciprocal errors in fiber-optic current sensors, which are induced by environment fluctuations such as temperature and linear and angular vibrations, are specified. These errors in three current sensor configurations are evaluated and compared theoretically. The comparison indicates that the in-line sensor with strip waveguide modulator has the best resistance to the mentioned three environment fluctuations. Methods that may be used to suppress the nonreciprocal errors in different sensor configurations are suggested.     

Theoretical Investigation of the Protonation Mechanism of Doped Polyaniline

The theoretical calculation of polyaniline tetramers were performed in implicit water solvent medium using the polarizable continuum model with density functional theory. In order to explore the protonation mechanism of polyaniline, the geometry characteristics, charge distribution, frontier molecular orbitals (MOs) and stability of emeraldine base and emeraldine salts in tetramer were investigated by B3LYP/6-31G+(d,p), and the significant increase mechanism of the electrical conductivity of polyaniline upon protonation was researched in detail. It was shown that optimized molecular geometry by protonation doping suggested a tendency towards bipolaron delocalization and a greater π-conjugation proved by bond length alternation and the torsional angles. Furthermore, the NBO of ES3 was distributed equably and should be conducive to the electrical conductivity, the frontier MOs were effectively established, and an electronic transition from HOMO to LUMO+1 is turned out to be a ππ* transition finally. In addition, compared with the computed energies of different emeraldine salt configurations, the bipolaronic lattice was taken for the most stable structure.